Active safety control system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for determining, and displaying, the regulatory compliance status of a motorized vehicle, a driver of a motorized vehicle, or a non-vehicle machine. An authorized agent, such as a law enforcement officer, can perform a remotely-initiated safe stop of a motorized vehicle to prevent a high-speed chase. A system management center can receive, store, and transmit regulatory compliance records indicating the regulatory compliance status of drivers, motorized vehicles, and non-vehicle machines. A motorized vehicle can detect, and report, a driver “tail-gating” the motorized vehicle. The regulatory compliance history of drivers, motorized vehicles, and non-vehicle machines can be queried by authorized users.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of and claims priority to applicationSer. No. 17/985,830 filed Nov. 12, 2022, which is titled ACTIVE SAFETYCONTROL SYSTEM and is incorporated by reference, which is a Continuationof application Ser. No. 17/388,608 filed Jul. 29, 2021, now U.S. Pat.No. 11,507,079 which is titled ACTIVE SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM, which isincorporated by reference, and which claims priority to application Ser.No. 16/726,086, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,092,956, filed Dec. 23, 2019 whichis titled ACTIVE SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM, which is incorporated byreference, and which is a Divisional application and claims priority toapplication Ser. No. 16/205,976, now Abandoned, filed Nov. 30, 2018,which is titled ACTIVE SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM and is incorporated byreference, and claims priority to Provisional Application 62/593,843,now expired, filed Dec. 1, 2017, and which is titled ACTIVE SAFETYCONTROL SYSTEM and is incorporated by reference. This application isrelated to PCT Application PCTU51863520 filed Dec. 1, 2018 which istitled ACTIVE SAFETY CONTROL SYSTEM and which claims priority toprovisional application 62/593,843 filed Dec. 1, 2017.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to automateddetection of compliance of motorized vehicles, drivers, and non-vehiclemachines with regulatory standards, and with emergency stopping ofmotorized vehicles.

BACKGROUND

Persons, physical devices, and other entities are often required tocomply with certain applicable regulations. For example, a driver isrequired to be licensed by a department of motor vehicles in order tooperate a motorized vehicle, such as a car, motorcycle, boat, and thelike. A motorized vehicle is often required to meet regulatoryrequirements, such as the vehicle being registered with an department ofmotor vehicles, and a license fee or tax being paid, and other variousvehicle inspections having been performed, such as an emissionscompliance test. A driver of a motorized vehicle is further required todrive the vehicle in accordance with laws and regulations (generically,“the law”). Currently, in the prior art, an enforcement officer, such asa police officer, border patrol, park ranger, military police, orcustoms agent (generically “an officer”), turns on the officer'svehicle's lights and or sirens to instruct a vehicle to stop forinspection of compliance with the law.

To perform the compliance verification, an officer approaches thevehicle and instructs the driver to produce documents indicatingcompliance with the law. Approaching the stopped vehicle can endangerthe officer, especially when the driver of the stopped vehicle is awarethat the vehicle, and/or the driver, are not in compliance with the law.Further, a driver that is aware that the vehicle is not in compliancewith the law (e.g. the vehicle is stolen) or the driver is not incompliance with the law (e.g. the driver has an outstanding warrant forarrest), will often wait until the officer has approached the stoppedcar, and then speed away to avoid arrest. In such circumstances, ahigh-speed chase will often ensue. High-speed chases are well-known tobe hazardous to the public, generally, and to the driver who is fleeingarrest, and to the officer that is attempting to stop the vehicle andmake an arrest.

Current methods of stopping a car, in the prior art, are physical meanssuch as “tack strips” or “tire spikes” or “boxing-in” a the fleeingdriver with multiple law enforcement vehicles. In the prior art, thereis currently no way for an enforcement officer to remotely, and safely,stop a moving vehicle.

Also in the prior art, there are many non-vehicle machines that alsomust comply with regulations. For example, a gasoline pump (“gas pump”)is required to have emissions-controlling nozzles, and to dispense fuelto a customer's vehicle according to an amount displayed to thecustomer, within a regulated tolerance. Often, a Bureau of Weights andMeasures will perform such a compliance test, and will certify that thegas pump complies with the test and is dated accordingly, and acompliance sticker is applied to the gas pump. A user of the gas pumpoften does not know where to look for such a compliance sticker, doesnot know whether, if the sticker date has passed, indicates that thepump was never compliant with the law, or has not been recertified asbeing compliant with the law. Similarly, a home or business owner thatreceives metered natural gas or electrical power also does not knowwhether the applicable meter on their home or business is accurate, andwhen it was last certified as accurately measuring the service (gas orelectricity) that was provided and measured by the meter. Similarly, ahome that has solar panels and generates electricity back to the utilitypower grid does not know whether the generated power is accurately beingcredited back to the consumer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which likereferences indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1A is a lock diagram illustrating a networked system according toone embodiment.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a system management center thatmanages regulatory compliance records for use in the networked system ofFIG. 1A, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example of subsystems of amotorized vehicle for use with a system that determines and displaysregulatory compliance of a motorized vehicle that can be remotelystopped by an authority, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example of subsystems of anon-vehicle machine for use with a system that determines and displaysregulatory compliance of the non-vehicle machine and can controloperation of the non-vehicle machine, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 3A-3C are block diagrams illustrating example displays for usewith a system that determines and displays regulatory compliance ofstatus of motorized vehicles and/or non-vehicle machines according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a method of updating a centralcontrol unit of a motorized vehicle or non-vehicle machine withregulatory compliance information, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a method of interrogating theregulatory compliance state of a motorized vehicle or a non-vehiclemachine, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method of controlling a vehicleto a safe stop in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method of performing a startupcheck of a motorized vehicle, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a method of performing a safestop of a moving motorized vehicle to avoid a high-speed chase, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a method of performing a safestop of a motorized vehicle at a border control point, according to someembodiments.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a method of limiting a driverand/or motorized vehicle to a predefined boundary area, according tosome embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a method of monitoring andreporting “tail-gating” by a second vehicle behind a first vehicle,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating controlling operation of anon-vehicle machine in accordance with a state of regulatory complianceof the machine, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating representative hardware uponwhich any of the embodiments described herein may be practiced.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments and aspects of the disclosures will be describedwith reference to details discussed below, and the accompanying drawingswill illustrate the various embodiments. The following description anddrawings are illustrative of the disclosure and are not to be construedas limiting the disclosure. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventionaldetails are not described in order to provide a concise discussion ofembodiments of the present disclosures.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin conjunction with the embodiment can be included in at least oneembodiment of the disclosure. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarilyall refer to the same embodiment.

In a first embodiment, a system for tracking regulatory compliance ofmotorized vehicles, drivers of motorized vehicles, and non-vehiclemachines includes a provider of regulatory compliance records,subscribers to the regulatory compliance records, a plurality ofmotorized vehicles, a plurality of drivers of motorized vehicles, and aplurality of non-vehicle machines that are all subject to regulatorycompliance, and a system management center, all interconnected via anetwork. A system management center manages receipt of regulatorycompliance records for motorize vehicles, drivers of motorized vehicles,and for non-vehicle machines. The regulatory compliance records arereceived from a wide variety of regulatory compliance record providers,such as a department of motor vehicles, a motorized vehicle emissionstesting business, insurers of drivers, from the motorized vehicles andnon-motorized vehicles, Bureau of Weights and Measures, medicalequipment regulatory compliance inspectors, non-vehicle machineinspectors, such as elevators, escalator, and amusement ride inspectors,etc. The system management center can receive regulatory compliancerecords from providers, store the regulatory compliance records in astorage associated with the system management center, and push thereceived compliance records to the motorized vehicle or non-vehiclemachine to which the regulatory compliance records refer. Each driver ofa motorized vehicle can also be subject to regulatory compliance, suchas the requirement of having insurance for each motorized vehicle thatthe driver may drive, having a valid license to operate the motorizedvehicle, and updates to the regulatory compliance status of the driver'soperation of a motorized vehicle. Such records can be received from aprovider, such as a department of motorized vehicles, insurer, or a lawenforcement agent, and stored in the system management center. A driverof a motorized vehicle can be associated one or more motorized vehicles,such as by being a registered owner of the motorized vehicle or aninsured driver associated with the motorized vehicle. Regulatorycompliance records about the driver can be pushed by system managementcenter down the central control unit of each motorized vehicle withwhich the driver is associated. The regulatory compliance status of thedriver, and the motorized vehicle, can be displayed by the motorizedvehicle central control unit on one more displays on the motorizedvehicle.

In second embodiment, systems and methods are provided for aninterlocked startup sequence of motorized vehicles. Each motorizedvehicle can have a central control unit that is coupled to thesubsystems of the motorized vehicle. Each motorized vehicle can have oneor more displays, e.g. front and rear, an electronic control unit thatcontrols operation of the motorized vehicle, and computing hardware ofthe motorized vehicle. When a driver attempts to start the vehicle, thecentral control unit can determine whether it can communicate with eachof the subsystems. If not, the motorized vehicle will not start. Theelectronic control unit determines whether it can communicate with eachof the operational subsystems of the motorized vehicle subsystems, suchas a fuel control subsystem, an ignition subsystem, and a brakingcontrol subsystem. If not, the motorized vehicle will not start. Eachsubsystem can have a unique identifier, registered in a storage of thecentral control unit. If the unique identifier of any subsystem does notmatch the unique identifier for the subsystem that is registered in thecentral control unit, the motorized vehicle will not start. Each driverof a motorized vehicle can have an electronic key having a uniqueidentifier, such as a radio frequency identifier (RFID) that isregistered with the central control unit of the motorized vehicle and isassociated with a unique identifier of the driver (e.g. a driver'slicense number of the driver). If the unique identifier of the key doesnot match a registered identifier in the central control unit storage,then the motorized vehicle will not start. In an embodiment, duringstartup, the central control unit can access regulatory compliancerecords about the driver and the motorized vehicle that are stored inthe central control unit storage, and update their respective statuseson the displays of the motorized vehicle. If either the motorizedvehicle or the driver are not in compliance with regulations, themotorized vehicle will not start.

In a third embodiment, systems and method for displaying a regulatorycompliance status, each non-vehicle machine can have a central controlunit that receives and stores regulatory compliance records from systemmanagement center. The non-vehicle machine can then update one or moredisplays on the non-vehicle machine to indicate the regulatorycompliance status of the non-vehicle machine. If the non-vehicle machineis not compliant with regulations, such as by not having a currentcertification of regulatory compliance, then the central control unit ofthe non-vehicle machine can automatically disable the operation of thenon-vehicle machine. In an embodiment, upon receipt, by the centralcontrol unit of the non-vehicle machine, of a regulatory compliancerecord indicating that the non-vehicle machine now complies withregulations, the central control unit of the non-vehicle machine canenable operation of the non-vehicle machine. In an embodiment, anon-vehicle machine having been previously disabled for having anon-compliant regulatory status can be temporarily operated by a userselecting a “manual override” feature from a user interface on thedisplay of the non-vehicle machine. In an embodiment, a record of thetemporary manual override of disablement of the non-vehicle machine canbe stored in the central control unit memory. Usage of a non-compliantnon-vehicle machine may, itself, be a regulatory violation. In anembodiment, a record of the temporary manual override of disablement ofthe non-vehicle machine, and the user that authorized the temporaryoverride, can be transmitted to the system management center as a recordof non-compliant usage of a non-compliant non-vehicle machine.

In fourth embodiment, systems and methods are provided for remotely,safely stopping a motorized vehicle. A law enforcement agent, such as apoliceman, border control agent, park ranger, etc., (generically,“officer”) can transmit a command to a motorized vehicle to request aunique machine identifier (ID) of the motorized vehicle. The officer canhave a communication system that transmits the command to the motorizedvehicle and receives, in response, the unique machine ID of themotorized vehicle. The officer can then use the unique machine ID andcommunication system to transmit a command to a central control unit ofthe motorized vehicle to initiate a safe stop of the motorized vehicle.The safe stop is performed by the central control unit of the motorizedvehicle, in response to receiving the command. The central control unitof the motorized vehicle being stopped can cause an electronic controlunit of the motorized vehicle to perform any or all of: disabling athrottle control of the motorized vehicle, applying a braking system ofthe motorized vehicle, cutting a fuel supply to the engine of themotorized vehicle, and cutting ignition signals to the engine of themotorized vehicle. In an embodiment, there can be a programmable delaybetween each of these operations, such that the safe stop is performedimmediately (zero delay), at a medium speed (e.g. 1 second delay, persafe stop operation) or slowly (e.g. 2 seconds delay, per safe stopoperation). In addition, the officer can use the communication system totransmit a command to the central control unit of the motorized vehicleto keep the motorized vehicle in a stopped state, with fuel supplydisabled, ignition disabled, throttle control disabled, and brakes fullyapplied, so that the driver of the motorized vehicle that is nowstopped, cannot then drive away. In an embodiment, the officer can usethe communication system to transmit a command to re-enable thesubsystems of the safely stopped motorized vehicle, such that a drivercan the motorized vehicle can operate the motorized vehicle.

In an embodiment, the central control unit of the motorized vehicle canobtain the GPS location of the motorized vehicle and can look up aunique identifier of the driver of the motorized vehicle. The centralcontrol unit of the motorized vehicle can also retrieve a predeterminedboundary limit on where the motorized vehicle, and/or the driver, candrive the motorized vehicle. In response to approaching a limit on wherethe driver or motorized vehicle may be driven, a warning message can bedisplayed to the driver. If the driver continues to drive toward theboundary limit, the central control unit of the motorized vehicle canautomatically implement a safe stop of the motorized vehicle. In thesafe stop state, the driver may only be able to navigate the motorizedvehicle further inside the boundary, and not toward the boundary.

In a fifth embodiment, systems and methods are provided for warning,and/or, reporting a tail-gating driver to the regulatory compliancesystem. A first motorized vehicle can be followed by a second motorizedvehicle. The central control unit of the first motorized vehicle candetermine the speed of the first motorized vehicle and a distance fromthe rear end of the first motorized vehicle to the front end of thesecond motorized vehicle. If this distance is less than a firstthreshold amount, in view of the speed of the first and second motorizedvehicles, then a warning message to the driver of the second motorizedvehicle can be displayed on the rear display of the first motorizedvehicle. If this distance is less than a second, unsafe distance, thenthe central control unit of the first motorized vehicle can instruct acamera in the rear display of the first motorized vehicle to take apicture of the unique machine identifier (license number) of the secondmotorized vehicle, and optionally take a picture of the driver of thesecond motorized vehicle. Then, the central control unit of the firstmotorized vehicle can obtain the GPS coordinates of the first motorizedvehicle, the speed of the first motorized vehicle, and transmit the GPScoordinates, picture(s) of the second motorized vehicle, speedinformation, date/time of the transmission, and other information to thesystem management center to report the violation of regulatorycompliance of the driver of the second motorized vehicle for drivingunsafely close to the vehicle in front of it.

In a sixth embodiment, any of the above method operations can beperformed on a system that includes a memory programmed with executableinstructions, the memory coupled to a processing system having at leastone hardware processor, the method operations carried out when theinstructions are executed by the processing system. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium can store executable instructions that, whenexecuted by a processing system having at least one hardware processor,perform any of the above method operations.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a networked system 100 accordingto one embodiment. The system 100 can include providers of regulatorycompliance records 110, a system management center (SMC) 120,subscribers to regulatory compliance records 130 of the systemmanagement center 120, motorized vehicles 200, and non-vehicle machines201 that are subject to various compliance regulations as indicated byproviders of regulatory compliance records 110, all interconnected via anetwork 140.

Providers of regulatory compliance records 110 provide regulatorycompliance information to system management center (SMC) 120 as to thestate of compliance with regulatory standards of a motorized vehicle(MV) 200, a driver of a motorized vehicle 200, or a non-vehicle machine(NVM) 201, such as a gas pump, an elevator, an escalator, an amusementpark ride, or a medical device. Providers of regulatory compliancerecords 110 can include businesses that provide certification ofcompliance, or notice of failure of testing for compliance, with anenvironmental regulation, such as a vehicle emissions standard. Adepartment of motor vehicles (DMV) can be a provider 110 of motorizedvehicle 200 regulatory compliance records, such as certificatesindicating that a motor vehicle 200 is registered with the DMV and thata license fee has been paid for the motorized vehicle 200. An insurancecompany can be a provider 110 of certificates of compliance withmotorized vehicle insurance regulations.

Non-vehicle machines 201 can also be required to comply withregulations, such as a periodic mechanical inspection, liabilityinsurance, or other regulation. For example, a gasoline pump may berequired to be certified, e.g. by a Bureau of Weights and Measures, thatthe gasoline pump does, or does not, comply with fuel dispensingaccuracy standards, fuel dispensing emissions standards, and the like.Such certification can be submitted to the SMC 120 for entry in aregulatory compliance records database, then pushed by a push servicedown to a central control unit (CCU) inside the certified non-vehiclemachine 201. Non-vehicle machines 201, such as an elevator, escalator,or amusement park ride, e.g., may be periodically inspected for safetycompliance by an inspector. An inspector's report can be uploaded to SMC120 as a regulatory compliance record and pushed, by a push service,down to the non-vehicle machine 201.

Other providers 110 of regulatory compliance records can include anauthority, such as police, border patrol, park rangers, highway patrol,FBI, CIA, TSA, or other authority may also be a provider of complianceinformation 110.

System management center (SMC) 120 can receive and store all suchregulatory compliance records and index such records for easy retrieval.SMC 120 can receive regulatory compliance records from motorizedvehicles 200, such as in the form of a report that the motorized vehicle200 is being operated at/near a border control point or near apredetermined permissible boundary for operating the motorized vehicle200, either as a limit on the motorized vehicle 200 or a limit on thedriver of the motorized vehicle 200. The motorized vehicle 200 can alsoprovide a report that a license display plate has been removed from themotorized vehicle 200.

Motorized vehicles (MV) 200 can include automobiles of all typesincluding passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, taxi cabs, scooters,boats, and other motorized vehicles.

Non-vehicle machines (NVM) 201 can include a wide variety of machinesthat are required to comply with regulations, such as gas pump, anelevator, an escalator, an amusement park ride, a utility electric orgas meter, a water meter, liquid natural gas dispenser, or other devicethat may be inspected for compliance with regulations, includingcompliance with Bureau or Weights and Measures standards for accuracy.

Each such MV 200 and NVM 201 can have a central control unit (CCU) thatreceives and stores notifications and updates of compliance records thatare relevant to the MV 200 or NVM 201. The stored regulatory compliancerecords in the CCU of the MV 200 or NVM 201 can be queried by asubscriber 130, such as an enforcement authority.

Subscribers to regulatory compliance records 130 can include a widevariety of entities. Subscribers can include enforcement authorities 130such as include police, border patrol, customs agencies, Federal Bureauof Investigation (FBI), central intelligence agency (CIA),transportation security administration (TSA), federal and state parkrangers, military police, and others who may need access to the state ofcompliance with regulations of motorized vehicles, drivers of motorizedvehicles, and non-vehicle machines. In addition, parties having a vestedinterest in the state of regulatory compliance of drivers, motorizedvehicles 200, or non-vehicle machines 201 may be subscribers 130 to SMC120. For example, a lending company that issued a loan for a motorizedvehicle 200 or non-vehicle machine 201 may require that the recipient ofsuch loan provide proof (a certificate) of collision, property damage,and/or liability insurance on the machine 200/201. The lender maysubscribe to SMC 120 to learn of a change of status of whether such MV200 or NVM 201 has, or does not have, insurance currently in force.Similarly, some military bases require that MV 200 have liabilityinsurance if the MV 200 is driven on such military base. Thus, themilitary base may be a subscriber 130 to SMC 120 to ensure that a driverof an MV 200 has motor vehicle insurance before permitting the MV 200 onthe military base. In addition, the military police at the point ofentry to the military base may act as a border patrol. The driver and/orMV 200 may be required to stop the MV 200 at the entry to the militarybase for a compliance check before entering the military base.

Providers of compliance records 110, SMC 120, subscribers 130, MV's 200,and NVM's 201 may all be interconnected via a network 140. Network 140can include a cellular network, a mobile telephony network, e.g. GSM, aradio-based network, WiFi, or other network.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating a system management center 120(SMC) that manages regulatory compliance records of MV's 200 and NVM's201 for use in the networked system 100 of FIG. 1A, according to someembodiments.

SMC 120 can include a plurality of databases 121-124, a query interface125, a push service 126, and computing hardware 127.

Providers and Subscribers Database 121 can include database recordsidentifying one or more providers of regulatory compliance records 124and one or more subscribers to those regulatory compliance records 124.A provider is any person or entity that reports to the SMC 120 a stateof compliance with regulatory requirements of a motorized vehicle 200, adriver of a motorized vehicle 200, or a non-vehicle machine 201. Asubscriber is any person or entity that requests and/or receivesregulatory compliance records 124. A subscriber can also request and/orreceive regulatory compliance records directly from a motorized vehicle200 or a non-vehicle machine 201 by querying the central control unit(CCU) in the MV 200 or NVM 201.

A person or entity can be both a provider and a subscriber, withinlimits set forth in update and retrieval rules database 122. Forexample, a department of motor vehicles (DMV) can be a provider oflicensing compliance records 124 for drivers of motorized vehicles 200and a provider of registration compliance records 124 or motorizedvehicles 200. In many states, an motorized vehicle 200 registrationrequires proof of liability insurance and proof of compliance withmotorized vehicle emissions standards (“emissions certification”). Aninsurer of motorized vehicles is a provider that provides a certificateof insurance (record of compliance) that a particular driver andmotorized vehicle 200 complies with property damage and liabilityinsurance requirements to register the motorized vehicle 200 foroperation on public roads. An emissions certification business can be aprovider of regulatory compliance records 124 that a particularmotorized vehicle 200 complies with emissions standards for operation onpublic roads. The DMV, in addition to being a provider of driver licenseand vehicle registration records, can also be a subscriber ofenvironmental compliance records and insurance compliance records for amotorized vehicle 200 and/or a driver of a motorized vehicle. A lenderthat provided a loan for a driver to purchase a motorized vehicle 200may also require insurance on the motorized vehicle 200 to protect thelender against loss due to damage to the vehicle. The lender can be asubscriber to regulatory compliance records 124.

A non-vehicle machine (NVM) 201 can also be subject to regulatorycompliance. For example, an elevator, an escalator, utility meter,medical device, or an amusement park ride are subject to periodicinspections of the machines and their maintenance records. A date uponwhich each such inspection has been performed can be uploaded tocompliance records database 124 and pushed, by push service 126, down toa central control unit (CCU) of the non-vehicle machine (NVM) 201. EachNVM 201 can be identified in vehicles, drivers, and machines database123 with a unique identifier. A display on the NVM 201 can display thecurrent regulatory compliance status of the NVM 201, allowing a user todecide whether to utilize the NVM 201. In an embodiment, an NVM 201 thatdoes not comply with regulatory requirements can automatically disableitself. In an embodiment, an NVM 201 may include a user interface thatallows a user to temporarily override the automatic disabling of the NVM201 so that the user can use the NVM 201. For example, a gasoline pumpdisplay may indicate that the gasoline pump is non-compliant with arequired annual certification that the amount of gasoline displayed to aconsumer accurately represents the amount of gasoline dispensed to theconsumer. If the certification of accuracy has expired, the gasolinepump may then disable itself and the CCU of the gasoline pump can updatea display of the gasoline pump to indicate the non-compliant status ofthe gasoline pump. A consumer that urgently needs gasoline may not beconcerned with the non-compliant status of the gasoline pump, and mayuse a manual override interface to accept the non-compliant status ofthe gasoline pump and go ahead with using the gasoline pump regardlessof its non-compliant status. The user's manual override may be indicatedon a receipt issued to the user for purchase of gasoline using thenon-compliant gasoline pump.

Update and retrieval rules 122 can define the specific regulatorycompliance records 124 which providers are permitted to update in thecompliance records database 124. Update and retrieval rules 122 can alsodefine the specific regulatory compliance records 124 which subscribersare permitted to receive. In an embodiment, update and retrieval rules122 can set forth fees to be paid by subscribers 121 for receipt ofupdates to regulatory compliance records 124. In an embodiment, updateand retrieval rules 122 can set forth specific information and specificsubscribers that can receive regulatory compliance records 124 by a pushservice 126. Update and retrieval rules 122 can also define the specificinformation which providers or subscribers are permitted to retrieveand/or update from a central control unit (CCU) in a motor vehicle 200or non-vehicle machine 201. A motor vehicle 200 or a non-vehicle machine201 can be a push service subscriber to regulatory compliance records124 that relate to the particular MV 200 or NVM 201.

A vehicle, driver, and machine database 123 can store a record of eachmotorized vehicle 200, driver of a motorized vehicle 200, andnon-vehicle machine 201 for which regulatory compliance records 124 areprovided. Each MV 200, driver of an MV 200, and NVM 201 may have one ormore unique identifiers associated with it, as well as other identifyinginformation. For example, an MV 200 may a unique identifier, aregistered owner, a manufacturer's make and model number, a vehicleidentification number (VIN), a year of manufacture, and a colorassociated with it. A driver of an MV 200 may have a unique identifier(e.g. vehicle operator's license number), a current residence address,an age of the driver, height and weight of the driver, eye color of thedriver, whether the driver is required to wear corrective lenses whenoperating an MV 200, and one or more classifications of motorizedvehicles 200 that the driver is permitted to operate. An NVM 201 canhave a description of the non-vehicle machine 201 (escalator, elevator,medical device, utility meter, amusement park ride, gasoline pump,e.g.), a manufacturer's name and model number, a year of manufacture, aregistered owner of the NVM 201, a residential or business address ofthe registered owner, and the like. Vehicles, drivers, and machinesdatabase 123 can be cross-indexed with compliance records 124, providersand subscribers 121, and update and retrieval rules 122.

Push service 126 can send an updated regulatory compliance record 124 toone or more subscribers, without the push service 126 receiving anexplicit request for the updated regulatory compliance record 124. Pushservice 126 can receive a notification that a regulatory compliancerecord 124 for a motorized vehicle 200, driver of a motorized vehicle200, or non-vehicle machine 201 has been updated. Push service 126 canaccess the update and retrieval rules 122 to determine which subscriber,if any, is permitted to receive the updated regulatory compliance record124 by push service 126. Push service 126 can push the updatedregulatory compliance record 124 to the subscriber(s) that are permittedto receive the updated regulatory compliance record 124 from pushservice 126. For example, a motorized vehicle 200 can receive, by pushservice 126, an update to the regulatory compliance status of themotorized vehicle 200. Each non-vehicle machine 201 can receive anupdate from push service 126 to the regulatory compliance status of thenon-vehicle machine 201. In an embodiment, a law enforcement agency maysubmit a request to receive push service 126 for regulatory compliancerecords 124 for a particular motorized vehicle 200, driver of amotorized vehicle 200, or non-vehicle machine 201. For example, the lawenforcement agency may have received notification that a specificmotorized vehicle 200 has been stolen or was involved in an accident,and the law enforcement agency may receive push notifications regardingthat motorized vehicle 200 and/or a driver of that motorized vehicle200. In an embodiment, a law enforcement agency request for push servicemay be temporary in scope, such as 24 hours or 30 days. Such a requestfor push service can be stored in the update and retrieval rulesdatabase 122.

In an embodiment, a law enforcement agency can be both a provider ofcompliance records and a subscriber to the regulatory compliancedatabase 124. For example, the law enforcement agency may act as aprovider by submitting a regulatory compliance record 124 indicatingthat a specified driver has received a citation for a serious felony,and that an arrest warrant for the driver has been issued. The record ofthe serious felony and the arrest warrant can be pushed by push service126 to the motorized vehicle 200 and stored in the central control unit(CCU) of the motorized vehicle 200. A law enforcement agency (the same,or a different agency) can query the regulatory compliance recordsstored in the CCU of the motorized vehicle 200 and find out that anarrest warrant has been issued for the driver of the motorized vehicle200.

System management center (SMC) 120 can further include a query interface125. A query can specify the subscriber issuing the query, or can be ananonymous and/or non-subscriber query. For a subscriber query, queryinterface 125 can access the providers and subscribers database 121, andupdate and retrieval rules database 122, to determine the regulatorycompliance records 124 that the subscriber is permitted to access. Queryinterface 125 can then parse the query to determine the regulatorycompliance records 124 that are requested in the query. If thesubscriber is permitted to access the requested regulatory compliancerecords 124 then the requested regulatory compliance records 124 arereturned in response to the query. If the subscriber is permitted toaccess some, but not all, of the requested regulatory compliancerecords, then none of the requested records are returned. In anembodiment, only the requested regulatory compliance records 124 thatthe subscriber is entitled to receive are returned. In an embodiment, anotice is returned to the querying subscriber as to the regulatorycompliance records 124 that were requested, but not returned, to theuser.

A non-subscriber may use query interface 125 to request publicregulatory compliance records 124, such as the inspection andmaintenance records of a non-vehicle machine 201. For example, agasoline pump (“gas pump”) is required to be inspected and certified foraccuracy of the delivered gasoline as compared to the displayed amountof dispensed gasoline. An anonymous non-subscribing user may query theregulatory compliance records 124 of the gas pump to determine thehistory of compliance of this particular gas pump with dispensingaccuracy requirements. In an embodiment, the query interface can enablea non-subscribing user to query for gasoline pumps that are incompliance with regulatory requirements 124 and that are near to thegasoline pump for which the user issued the query.

System management center (SMC) 120 can include computing hardware 127.Exemplary hardware for SMC 120 can be as described below with referenceto FIG. 13 . In an embodiment, SMC 120 can comprise a distributedcomputing platform, and/or cloud storage or distributed storage,comprising many instances of computing hardware.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example of subsystems of amotorized vehicle 200 for use with a system that determines and displaysregulatory compliance of a motorized vehicle 200 and that can beremotely stopped by an authority, according to one embodiment. Thedescribed systems enable a motorized vehicle (MV) 200 to receive andstore regulatory compliance records from SMC 120, display a regulatorycompliance status of the MV 200 on one or more displays, enable a lawenforcement agency to query the received and stored regulatorycompliance records, and enable law enforcement agency to automaticallyand remotely stop the MV 200. The subsystems also enable the operationof MV 200 to be disabled so that a driver of the MV 200 cannot driveaway, once the MV 200 is stopped.

A motorized vehicle (MV) 200 can include one or more displays 300A, anantenna 210, a central control unit (CCU) 250, an electronic controlunit (ECU) 260, a fuel control module 230, an ignition control module235, braking control module 240, and computing hardware 295.

A unique identifier of each subsystem can be registered with the CCU 250and stored in the IDs 251 storage off CCU 250. Subsystems of MV 200 canbe interlocked 255 such that, e.g., at startup of the MV 200, eachsubsystem is checked that (1) the subsystem responds to queries by theCCU, and (2) each subsystem returns the correct identifier in responseto a CCU 250 query. If any subsystem does not respond, or has theincorrect serial number, the CCU 250 will not allow the MV 200 to start.After startup, interlocking components ensures that, e.g., a subsystemcannot be removed, such as stealing the license plate or removing adisplay when the vehicle displays a non-compliant status. In anembodiment, if the interlock 255 is violated after the MV 200 isstarted, the MV 200 will be disabled. In an embodiment, if the interlock255 is violated after the MV 200 is moving, the CCU 250 willautomatically initiate a safe stop.

Displays 300A (front and rear) can display, among other data, a statusof regulatory compliance of the MV 200, a state and/or country withwhich the MV 200 is registered, a license plate number of the MV 200,and other display information. Display(s) 300A are described in furtherdetail, below, with reference to FIG. 3A.

Antenna 210 can be a radio antenna, a WiFi antenna, a cell phoneantenna, a satellite communication antenna, or antenna for anothercommunication medium or protocol. Antenna 210 can enable MV 200 toreceive and store regulatory compliance records from SMC 120. Antenna210 can also receive inquiries and commands from a law enforcementagent. Inquiries can include “return MV 200 identification number” and“return motorized vehicle regulatory compliance records from centralcontrol unit storage.” Inquiries can also include “driver key ID anddriver regulatory compliance records.”

Central control unit (CCU) 250 is the central logic and storage unit forthe MV 200. CCU 250 can receive regulatory compliance records from SMC120 and store the updated records in statuses storage 252. CCU 250 canthen update the regulatory compliance status of the MV 200 on one orboth of displays 300A. Each MV 200 can have one or more MV 200 operationkeys. An operation key is a physical, electronic device that includes aradio frequency identifier (RFID). The operational key can includeidentification of one or more drivers that are authorized to use theoperation key to operate the MV 200. The RFID of each such key, and alist of authorized drivers for each operation key, is stored in the IDsstorage 251 of CCU 250. Computer hardware 295 can include an RFID readerthat reads the RFID of the operational key. If the RFID of theoperational key is not stored in the IDs storage 251, the operationalkey will not be able to operate the MV 200. A law enforcement agentquerying the status of the MV 200 can receive the RFID of theoperational key from the CCU 250 and the regulatory compliance recordsof each of the one or more drivers associated with the operational key.

CCU 250 can include logic to implement a safe stop of the MV 200 inresponse to a command received from a law enforcement agent. In anembodiment, a safe stop command can be a slow, medium, or immediate safestop. A slow safe stop may have a delay of, e.g., 2 seconds between eachoperation of the safe stop. A medium safe stop may have a delay of,e.g., 1 second between each operation of the safe stop. An immediatesafe stop may have no delay between operations of the safe stop.Operations of the safe stop can include: disable throttle, cut fuel flowto the ignition system, cut ignition signals to the ignition system, andapply brakes. Each of the these operations, and associated delays, ifany, can be implemented by a combination of the CCU 250 and electroniccontrol unit (ECU) 260. ECU 260 can control the operation of a fuelcontrol system 230, an ignition/driver control system 235, and a brakingmodule 240. When a driver operates a motorized vehicle 200, the driverwill control the MV 200 with manual inputs into a steering wheel, a gaspedal/accelerator, and a brake pedal. These manual inputs are receivedby ECU 260 and translated into electro-mechanical inputs to the fuelcontrol 230, ignition/drive control 235, and braking control 230.

Features of the MV 200 subsystems, described above, can be implementedby computing hardware 295, programmed with executable instructions,stored in a storage of the computing hardware 295, to implement thedescribed functionality.

FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example of subsystems of anon-vehicle machine 201 for use with a system that determines anddisplays regulatory compliance of the non-vehicle machine 201 and cancontrol operation of the non-vehicle machine, according to someembodiments. The described systems enable a non-vehicle machine (NVM)201 to receive and store regulatory compliance records from SMC 120,display a regulatory compliance status of the NVM 201 on one or moredisplays, enable querying of the NVM 201 of the received and storedregulatory compliance records by authorized subscribers and/or thegeneral public. The subsystems also implement disablement of the NVM 201when the NVM 201 is non-compliant with required regulations. In anembodiment, a non-compliant, disabled NVM 201 can be temporarily enabledby a user in response to user override and acceptance that the NVM 201is currently non-compliant.

An NVM 201 can include one or more displays 300B, an antenna 210, acentral control unit (CCU) 250, an electronic control unit (ECU) 260, auser interface 270, operational controls 275, override control 280, andcomputing hardware 295.

A unique identifier of each subsystem can be registered with the CCU 250and stored in the IDs 251 storage. Subsystems of NVM 201 can beinterlocked 255 such that, e.g., when the NVM is initialized foroperation, each subsystem is checked that (1) the subsystem responds toqueries by the CCU 250, and (2) each subsystem returns the correctidentifier in response to a CCU 250 query. If any subsystem does notrespond, or if the subsystem has the incorrect identifier, the NVM 201will become operational. After startup, interlocking 255 of subsystemsensures that, e.g., a subsystem cannot be removed, such as removing adisplay 300B when the NVM 201 displays a non-compliant status. In anembodiment, if the interlock 255 is violated after the NVM 201 isoperational, the NVM 201 will be disabled.

Displays 300B can display, among other data, a status of regulatorycompliance of the NVM 201, a state and/or country with which the NVM 201is registered, a last date that the NVM 201 was certified as compliantwith regulations, and operational controls for the NVM 201, operationalinformation, and other display information. Display(s) 300B aredescribed in further detail, below, with reference to FIG. 3B.

Antenna 210 can be a radio antenna, a WiFi antenna, a cell phoneantenna, a satellite communication antenna, or antenna for anothercommunication medium or protocol. Antenna 210 can enable NVM 201 toreceive and store regulatory compliance records from SMC 120. Antenna210 can also receive inquiries from authorized subscribers andnon-subscribing users. Inquiries can include “return NVM 201identification number” and “return NVM 201 regulatory compliance recordsfrom CCU 250 statuses 252.” Inquiries can also include “return locationsof compliant NVM 201's that are near this location.”

Central control unit (CCU) 250 is the central logic and storage unit forthe NVM 201. CCU 250 can receive regulatory compliance records from SMC120 and store the updated records in statuses storage 252. CCU 250 canthen update the regulatory compliance status of the NVM 201 on one ormore displays 300B.

Electronic control unit (ECU) 260 can control user inputs to the NVM201, operational control 275 of the NVM 201, and user override control280 of the NVM 201. User inputs 270, operation control 275, and overridecontrol 280 will vary depending upon the specific NVM 201. Example usecases are described below.

Gasoline Pump

A gasoline pump may be subject to regulatory compliance, such asrequiring periodic certification that the gasoline pump accuratelydispenses the same amount of fuel as it displays on display 300B, orrequiring periodic emissions inspection to ensure that emissions controlequipment of the gasoline pump is working in accordance withregulations. Upon inspection and certification of compliance, a statusof compliance can be received by CCU 250 from SMU 120, stored in CCU 250statuses storage 252, and the updated compliant status can be displayedon display 300B. If the gasoline pump is not re-inspected before theexpiration date of the inspection, the status will automatically become“non-compliant” and display 300B will be updated. When the gasoline pumpstatus is “compliant with regulations,” a user interacts with thegasoline pump via user input controls 270 and the gasoline pumpoperation is controlled via operational control 275. When the gasolinepump status changes to “non-compliant,” and thus the CCU 250 of thegasoline pump disables the gasoline pump from further use, a user maywish to accept the non-compliant status and use the gasoline pumpanyway. The user interacts with the gasoline pump via user inputcontrols 270, and selects override control 280 to override non-compliantstatus. The gasoline pump operation is then controlled via operationcontrol 275.

Elevator

An elevator requires periodic safety inspection and maintenance. Whensuch inspection and maintenance is performed, a certification ofcompliance is sent to SMC 120 by a provider, the certification ofcompliance is pushed to the elevator CCU 250, stored in CCU 250 statuesstorage 252, and the CCU 250 updates display 300B to indicate that theelevator is compliant with regulatory requirements. A user interactswith the elevator via user input controls 270, such as “door open,”“up/down select,” and “select floor” et al. If the elevator is notrecertified within a specified period of time, then elevator willautomatically display “non-compliant” status, which may include a datathat compliance was last certified, e.g. When the elevator is in“non-compliant” status, the elevator may automatically set itself todisable operation. A user may, or may not, want to override disabledoperation of the elevator, depending upon whether the user wants toassume the responsibility of risk of injury due to elevator failure.Logic in the CCU 250 and ECU 260 may determine a reason that theelevator is in a disabled state, such as disabled due to failure of asubsystem or that that elevator compliance has been expired for 1 day,due to lack or recertification. The logic may determine the extent towhich disabled state can be overridden, if at all. Override control 280can implement a limited override of disabled status, as may be permittedby CCU/ECU logic, and the acceptance of liability by the user via usercontrols 270.

Features of the NVM 201 subsystems, described above, can be implementedby computing hardware 295, programmed with executable instructions,stored in a storage of the computing hardware 295, to implement thedescribed functionality.

FIGS. 3A-3C are block diagrams illustrating example displays 300A and300B for use with a system that determines regulatory compliance ofmotorized vehicles 200 and non-vehicle machines 201, according to someembodiments. Displays are coupled to CCU 250 as shown in FIGS. 2A and2B, above. Compliance status information, and other displayedinformation, can be obtained from CCU 250 status storage 252 and IDsstorage 251, which contain regulatory compliance information receivedfrom SMC 120, via CCU 250. Displays can be LED's, segmented LEDs, LCDdisplay, or other display technology. In an embodiment for a motorizedvehicle 200, one or more of displays 300A may be embedded in the frontor rear windshield of the motorized vehicle.

FIG. 3A is an example front display for use on a motorized vehicle (MV)200. Front display 300A can include a displayed state/country 301 inwhich MV 200 is, or was, registered. In the event of a change of stateor country in which the MV 200 is registered, CCU 250 of MV 200 receivesand stores an updated compliance record in statuses storage 252, and theupdated status is displayed on state/country 301 display element.

Status 314 can be a single multi-color display wherein the displayedcolor indicates the regulatory compliance status of the MV 200. Inaddition, or alternatively, status 314 be a multi-segment color controlbar display, or be a number or code display indicating regulatorycompliance status. For example, status 314 can display a RED color inthe event that a serious aspect of the MV 200 or driver of the MV 200(e.g. stolen vehicle) is non-compliant with regulations and can displayGREEN if the MV 200 and driver are fully compliant with regulations,otherwise the status 314 is set to YELLOW meaning that some aspect ofthe MV 200 or driver is non-compliant with regulations. In anembodiment, status 314 can be a multi-color LED, performing afunctionality analogous to the one-color-at-a-time LED. In anembodiment, status 314 can display one or more status codes indicatingthe specific aspect(s) of non-compliance with regulations of the MV 200or driver. In an embodiment, status codes and colors can be combined,such that one or more status codes are displayed, one at a time, over abackground color that follows the color scheme described above.

Message display 302 of MV 200 front display 300A can display a messagethat supplements one or more of the status codes displayed in status314.

License plate number 303 can display the license plate number for thisMV 200 issued by a department of motor vehicles (DMV). The license platenumber can be provided to SMC 120 by DMV as a provider, then pushed tothe MV 200 using push service 126, stored in the statuses memory 252 ofCCU 250 of the MV 200, then displayed on the front display of the MV200.

In an embodiment for a law enforcement MV 200, the front display 300Acan include an emitter-receiver 307 and camera 306 as described belowwith reference to FIG. 3B 300A motor vehicle rear display. The camera306 can be used by a law enforcement MV 200 from display 300A to capturethe motor vehicle identification number of an MV 200 that the lawenforcement agent determines may be out of regulatory compliance.Alternatively, emitter-receiver 307 of the front display 300A can scanthe front or rear display of the MV 200 to capture the vehicleidentification number of the MV 200 that the law enforcement agentdetermines may be out of regulatory compliance. In an embodiment, thecamera 306 and/or emitter-receiver 307 can be a part of a handhelddevice, such as a Smartphone or scanner, to obtain the vehicleidentification number of an MV 200. An application in the smart phone orscanner can then send a command to the MV 200 to obtain the regulatorycompliance records stored in the CCU 250 of the MV 200 that the lawenforcement agent determines may be out of regulatory compliance. Theobtained records can then be stored in the handheld device for review bythe law enforcement agent.

FIG. 3B is an example rear display 300A for use on a motorized vehicle(MV) 200. Rear display 300A can include a displayed state/country 301 inwhich MV 200 is, or was, registered. In the event of a change of stateor country in which the MV 200 is registered, CCU 250 of MV 200 receivesand stores an updated compliance record in statuses storage 252, and theupdated status is displayed on state/country 301 display element of reardisplay 300A.

Status 314 can be a single multi-color display wherein the displayedcolor indicates the regulatory compliance status of the MV 200. Inaddition, or alternatively, status 314 be a multi-segment color controlbar display, or be a number or code display indicating regulatorycompliance status. For example, status 314 can display a RED color inthe event that a serious aspect of the MV 200 or driver of the MV 200(e.g. stolen vehicle) is non-compliant with regulations and can displayGREEN if the MV 200 and driver are fully compliant with regulations,otherwise the status 314 is set to YELLOW meaning that some aspect ofthe MV 200 or driver is non-compliant with regulations. In anembodiment, status 314 can be a multi-color LED, performing afunctionality analogous to the one-color-at-a-time LED. In anembodiment, status 314 can display one or more status codes indicatingthe specific aspect(s) of non-compliance with regulations of the MV 200or driver. In an embodiment, status codes and colors can be combined,such that one or more status codes are displayed, one at a time, over abackground color that follows the color scheme described above.

Message display 302 of MV 200 rear display 300A can display a messagethat supplements one or more of the status codes displayed in status314. In an embodiment, message display 302 can display a message to acar behind the MV 200, e.g., “Too Close,” “Speed Limit 35 mph,” “Stoppedvehicle ahead,” or “School Zone,” to notify the driver behind the MV 200of a risky driving situation.

License plate number 303 can display the license plate number for thisMV 200 issued by a department of motor vehicles (DMV). The license platenumber can be provided to SMC 120 by DMV as a provider, then pushed tothe MV 200 using push service 126, stored in the statuses memory 252 ofCCU 250 of the MV 200, then displayed on the front display of the MV200.

Rear display 300A, on a first MV 200, can include an Emitter/Receiver307 that can emit a range-finding signal, such as an infrared laserpulse, toward a second MV 200 immediately behind the first MV 200.Receiver 307 can receive a reflection of the emitted range-findingsignal and determine a distance between the rear of the first MV 200 andthe front of the second MV 200. Logic in the CCU 250 can determine adistance and speed relationship that estimates whether the second MV 200is driving too close to the rear of the first MV 200. If so, then thefirst MV 200 can display a warning message on message display 302, e.g.“Too Close” or other message to indicate that the second MV 200 isdriving too close to the first MV 200. In an embodiment, the flashinglight can include flashing the tail lights of the MV 200. In addition,or alternatively, flashing light 305 can flash indicating to the driverof the second MV 200 that the driver is driving too close to the firstMV 200. If the second MV 200 continues to drive too close to the rear ofthe first MV 200, camera 306 of the rear display 300A of the first MV200 can take a picture of the second MV 200. The picture may include thefront display 300A of the second MV 200, and/or a picture of the driver.The picture, speed of the first motorized vehicle MV 200, distancebetween the rear of the first MV 200 and front of second MV 200 can betransmitted to a law enforcement agent and/or to SMC 120 to update theregulatory compliance records of the second MV 200 and/or the driver ofthe second MV 200 to indicate the unsafe driving. In an embodiment, aGPS location of the first MV 200 and a date/time of the picture can alsobe transmitted to a law enforcement agency and/or SMC 120.

FIG. 3C is an example display 300B for use on a non-vehicle machine(NVM) 201. An NVM 201 can include a wide variety of machines that aresubject to regulatory compliance, such as a gasoline pump, an elevator,an escalator, or FDA-controlled medical devices such as medical anddental lasers, and blood transfusion machinery. NVM 201 can include anydevice that is subject to measurement accuracy regulations by a Bureauof Weights and Measures, such as a utility natural gas usage meter, autility electricity usage meter, a utility electricity production meterfor a solar system, a fuel cell hydrogen dispensing device, or a propanedispensing device.

An NVM 201 display 300B can have display elements for a unique machineidentifier 311 of the NVM 201, a certification date 312 display the datethat the NVM 201 was last certified as compliant with regulations, andan expiration date display 313 which displays a date that the currentcertification of compliance expires.

NVM 201 display 300B can further includes a status 314 display elementhaving a color, indicating the regulatory compliance status of the NVM2010, a multi-segment control bar display, or number or code indicatingregulatory compliance status. For example, status 314 can display be setto a RED color in the event that a serious aspect of the NVM 201 isnon-compliant with regulations and can display GREEN if the NVM 201 isfully compliant with regulations. Otherwise the status 314 is set toYELLOW meaning that some aspect of the NVM 201 is non-compliant withregulations. In an embodiment, status 314 can be a multi-color LED,performing a functionality analogous to the single color LED. In anembodiment, status 314 can display one or more status codes indicatingthe specific aspect(s) of non-compliance with regulations of the NVM201. In an embodiment, status codes and colors can be combined, suchthat one or more status codes are displayed, one at a time, over abackground color that follows the color scheme described above.

Message display 302 of NVM 201 display 300B can display a message thatsupplements one or more of the status codes displayed in status 314. Inan embodiment, message display 302 can display a message to a user,“Machine inspection out of date,” “Machine certification servicecalled,” or “Machine operation disabled” to notify a user of the reasonthat an NVM 201 is not operable.

Display 300B for an NVM 201 can include a query address display 315 thatindicates where and/or how a user can query the regulatory compliancehistory of the NVM 201. In an embodiment, query address 315 can be auniform resource locator (URL) of a query interface of the status memory252 of the central control unit 250 of the non-vehicle machine 201, or aquery address of system management center 120. In an embodiment, queryaddress 315 can be a QR code for querying central control unit 250 ofthe non-vehicle machine 201, or the query address of the systemmanagement center 120.

In some embodiments, an NVM 201 can automatically disable its ownoperation when the NVM 201 is non-compliant with regulations. Forexample, it is unlawful to operate some medical machines when themachines are not in full regulatory compliance. Central control unit 250of NVM 201 can read its own statuses storage 252 and determine whetherto automatically disable operation of itself from use.

In some embodiments, e.g. a gasoline pump, a user of the NVM 201 may beable to perform a limited override of a state of disablement of the NVM201. A user of the gasoline pump may have an urgent need for gasolineand may not care whether or not the gasoline dispensing accuracy has notbeen recertified recently. The user of the gasoline pump may use theoverride 316 control to temporarily enable the gasoline pump. OK 317 andCancel 318 buttons may assist the user in navigating override operationof the gasoline pump.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a method 400 of updating acentral control unit (CCU) 250 of a motorized vehicle (MV) 200 ornon-vehicle machine (NVM) 201 with regulatory compliance informationreceived from a system management center (SMC) 120, according to someembodiments. SMC 120 can also update MV 200 central control unit 250with changes in regulatory compliance status for drivers of the MV 200that hold one or more keys that are registered in the central controlunit 250 of the MV 200.

In operation 405, system management center (SMC) 120 can receive anupdate to a regulatory compliance record for a motorized vehicle 200 ora non-vehicle machine 201 (generically, “machine”) or a driver(generically, “driver”) associated with a motorized vehicle 200. Theregulatory compliance record can be received by SMC 120 from anyprovider 121 that is authorized by update and retrieval rules 122 toupdate a compliance record 124 for the machine or driver 123 for whichthe regulatory compliance record is submitted to the SMC 120.

In operation 410, if the provider 121 is authorized to update theregulatory compliance records 124 for the machine or driver 123, thenSMC 120 can store the received regulatory compliance record incompliance records database 124.

In operation 415, SMC 120 can access the update and retrieval rules 122to determine which subscribers 121 and machines (200 or 201) areauthorized to receive the update to the regulatory compliance received124 received by SMC 120 in operation 405. SMC 120 can use push service126 to push the update to those subscribers 121 authorized to receivethe update.

In operation 420, the central control unit 250 of the machine (200 or201) receives the updated regulatory compliance record from the SMC 120and stores the received regulatory compliance record in the centralcontrol unit (CCU) 250 statuses storage 252 for access by the CCU 250 ofthe machine (200 or 201).

In operation 425, the machine CCU 250 updates the display(s) (300A or300B) to reflect the updated status of regulatory compliance receivedfrom SMC 120.

In operation 430, the CCU 250 of the machine (200 or 201) and the SMC120 make the updated regulatory compliance record(s) available to thosesubscribers who are entitled to receive the updated regulatorycompliance record(s) in accordance with update and retrieval rules 122.In an embodiment, for a non-vehicle machine 201, regulatory compliancerecords may be available to the general public, or anonymoussubscribers, in addition to subscribers defined in update and retrievalrules 122. For a motorized vehicle 200, access to driver and vehicleregulatory compliance records may be limited to law enforcementagencies, and others in accordance with rules in update and retrievalrules 122.

In operation 435, CCU 250 of the machine (200 or 201) optionallyenforces an automatic disablement of the machine (200 or 201), dependingupon machine-specific or driver-specific rules. The logic as to whetherto perform an automatic disablement of a machine (200 or 201) can beprogrammed into the CCU 250 or defined by regulatory requirements. Forexample, certain medical machines that are subject to governmentregulations may be mandated that they not be used in the event of anon-compliant regulatory status of the machine. Similarly, a driver witha particularly bad driver record may have a license that is subject to aprobationary status, such that if terms of the probation are violated,the motor vehicle 200 can be automatically disabled.

In operation 440, SMC 120 optionally pushes updates to subscribers 121that are authorized to receive push updates, in accordance with updateand retrieval rules 122.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a method 500 of interrogating theregulatory compliance status of a motorized vehicle 200 or a non-vehiclemachine 201, according to some embodiments. Each motorized vehicle 200and non-vehicle machine 201 (generically, “machine”) incorporates acentral control unit (CCU) 250 that contains, among other things, astorage of regulatory compliance status records 252. A subscriber,typically a law enforcement agency (generically, “authority”), caninterrogate the CCU 250 statuses 252 to obtain details as to the status,and history, of regulatory compliance of the machine. Alternatively, orin addition, the subscriber or authority can also query the SMC 120 toretrieve regulatory compliance records 124 from SMC 120.

In operation 505, the authority can send a signal to the machine (200 or201) to return the unique identifier (ID) of the machine (200 or 201).In a motorized vehicle 200, this may be the vehicle identificationnumber (VIN) of the MV 200, or it may be a registration license numberof the MV 200. In an embodiment, the unique identifier of the MV 200 canbe an arbitrary unique identifier (ID), assigned by SMC 120 for thevehicles, drivers, and machines database 123. The unique ID can be usedto query the regulatory compliance records stored in the statuses 252storage in the central control unit 250 of the machine. The signal tothe machine by the authority can be an automated “ping” signal to themachine (200 or 201) to return the unique ID of the machine (200 or201).

In operation 510, the requesting authority receives the unique ID of themachine (200 or 201) from the central control unit 250 of the machine.The authority can then use the unique ID to request detailed regulatorycompliance status from the machine CCU 250 status 252 storage.

In operation 515, the authority signals the machine (200 or 201) toreturn regulatory compliance status records for the machine having theunique ID. The signal to the machine may include the unique ID of themachine and a unique ID of the requesting authority, such as a unique IDof a police patrol car that signaled the request. The CCU 250 of themachine can access its own regulatory compliance status 252 storage andreturn all regulatory compliance history for the machine. In anembodiment, the authority may limit the requested regulatory compliancehistory to a specified window of time, e.g. the last 5 years. In anembodiment, update and retrieval rules database 122 of SMC 120 can haverules that limit the amount of regulatory compliance history for amachine that the authority can access.

In operation 520, CCU 250 of the machine (200 or 201) looks up statusrecords for the machine (200 or 201) from its own statuses storage 252.

In operation 525, it can be determined whether the machine (200 or 201)is a motorized vehicle 200 or a non-vehicle machine 201. If the machineis a motorized vehicle 200, then method 500 continues at operation 530,otherwise method 500 continues at operation 545.

In operation 530, CCU 250 of the motorized vehicle 200 looks up, in theCCU 250 statuses 252 storage, the regulatory compliance information ofany drivers that are associated with the motorized vehicle 200. Driversof a motorized vehicle 200 have a key which contains an RFID tag that isregistered with the CCU 250 in IDs storage 251 of CCU 250. Each suchdriver will also have a driver license that was issued by a departmentof motor vehicles (DMV) and such license will have a unique identifier.The driver license unique identifier is associated, in IDs storage 251of CCU 250, with the motor vehicle 200 unique identifier and the RFID ofthe key for the motorized vehicle 200.

In operation 535, CCU 250 can look up regulatory compliance records instatuses 252 storage for all drivers having a key with and RFIDassociated with the motorized vehicle 200.

In operation 540, the requesting authority can optionally use the uniqueidentifier of the motorized vehicle 200 to request, from SMC 120, allregulatory compliance records 124 stored with SMC 120.

In operation 545, CCU (and optionally SMC 120) can return all regulatorycompliance records associated with the machine (200 or 201) having theunique ID, and also records of drivers, if the machine is a motorizedvehicle 200, to the requesting authority.

The authority may evaluate the returned regulatory compliance recordsand decide to initiate a controlled stop of a motorized vehicle, asdescribed below with reference to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a method 600 of controlling amotorized vehicle 200 to a safe stop in accordance with someembodiments. Method 600 presumes that an authority has already requestedthe unique ID of a motorized vehicle 200 and has decided to initiate asafe stop to prevent a possible high-speed car chase. The authority mayhave also already queried the motorized vehicle 200 to be safe stopped,and determined an urgency for stopping the vehicle that depends uponnumerous real-world circumstances, such as an amount of traffic the MV200 to be stopped, whether the MV 200 to be stopped is approaching aschool zone, or a highway, or the driver is driving erratically. Method600 describes three different “speeds” of safe stop: slow, medium, andimmediate. The requesting authority makes the decision which type ofstop of initiate based upon the circumstances of a particular engagementwith the motorized vehicle 200 to be stopped. While three types of safestop are described, with specific example delay values, any number oflevels of safe stop can be implemented with varying delay values tocontrol the MV 200 to a stop. Method 600 is described below withreference to subsystems of MV 200, described above with reference toFIG. 2A.

In operation 605, it can be determined whether the authority hasselected a slow, safe stop. If so, then in operation 610 a delay timebetween safe stop operations is set to 2 seconds, and method 600continues at operation 630. Otherwise method 600 continues at operation615.

In operation 615, it can be determined whether the authority hasselected a medium safe stop. If so, then in operation 620 the delay timeis set to one second, otherwise in operation 625 the delay is set to 0seconds. Method 600 continues at operation 630.

In operation 630, central control unit (CCU) 250 of the MV 200 to bestopped receives the safe stop command from the authority and therequested delay value. In operation 630, the CCU 250 of the MV 200 to bestopped issues a command to the electronic control unit (ECU) 260 of theMV 200 to be stopped, to disable the throttle input to the MV 200.Throttle input may be an accelerator pedal or “gas pedal” or otherapparatus that performs the function of commanding a drive mechanism ofthe MV 200 to move the MV 200. With the throttle input disabled, nomatter how much the driver of MV 200 tries to accelerate the MV 200, theECU 260 of MV 200 blocks the command to accelerate the MV vehicle 200.CCU 250 of MV 200 then waits the “delay” amount of time, and continuesat operation 635.

In operation 635, CCU 250 sends a command to ECU 260 of the MV 200 to besafe stopped to stop fuel flow 230 to the engine of MV 200, then wait“delay” seconds. Stopping fuel flow may include disabling one or morefuel pumps of MV 200, and/or stopping the operation of one or more fuelinjectors or a throttle body of MV 200. Cutting fuel flow to the engine,before cutting the ignition signals to the engine, can avoid backfiresof the engine that occur when unburned fuel is ignited due to heat ofthe engine or other ignition source. Method 600 continues at operation640.

In operation 640, CCU 250 sends a command to ECU 260 to stop ignitionsignals to spark plugs of the engine of the MV 200. CCU 250 then waitsthe “delay” amount of time and method 600 continues at operation 645.

In operation 645, CCU 250 sends a command to ECU 260 to apply brakingcontrol 240 to stop the MV 200. In an embodiment, CCU 250 can calculatethe amount of braking signal to send based upon factors such as thecurrent speed of MV 200, whether MV 200 is approaching another MV 200,or whether a gyroscope in MV 200 indicates that MV 200 is travelinguphill, downhill, beginning a turn for a curve.

In an embodiment, an authority can send a subsystem-specific command forthe CCU 250 to send to the ECU 260. For example, the authority maycommand the MV 200, via CCU 250, to apply maximum braking via brakingcontrol 240, or a specified percentage of maximum braking control.

Once the MV 200 has been brought to a safe stop, the authority cancommand the CCU 250 of MV 200 to disable all driving functionality sothat the MV 200 cannot suddenly speed away.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a method 700 of performing astartup check of a motorized vehicle 200 according to some embodiments.Portions of method 700 are described with reference to subsystems of amotorized vehicle (MV) 200 as described above, with reference to FIG.2A. As shown in FIG. 2A, the subsystems of MV 200 are interlocked 255such that if any subsystem fails, or is missing, or does not respond, orthe unique identifier (ID) associated with each subsystem is not thesame as the unique ID registered in the CCU 250 IDs 251 storage for thatsubsystem, then the MV 200 will not start. Additional criteria forstarting the MV 200 are described below.

In operation 705, it can be determined whether the MV 200 electroniccontrol unit (ECU) 260 is interlocked 255 with fuel control 230,ignition/drive control 235, and braking control 240 subsystems. Tosatisfy the interlock 255 criteria, each of fuel control 230,ignition/drive control 235, and braking control 240 must: (1) respond toinquiry from ECU 260 as to their respective unique subsystem IDs, (2)the unique subsystem IDs must each match a stored unique subsystem IDregistered in the IDs 251 storage of the CCU 250 for the MV 200, (3) orthe subsystem returns a subsystem “OK” code and does not return anysubsystem failure codes. If any of the interlock 255 criteria are notmet, then method 700 continues at operation 745, otherwise method 700continues at operation 710.

In operation 710, it can be determined whether the CCU 250 isinterlocked to display(s) 300A (front/rear) and antenna 210. To satisfythe interlock 255 criteria, each of display(s) 300A (front/rear) andantenna must: (1) respond to inquiry as to their respective uniquesubsystem IDs, (2) the unique subsystem IDs must each match a storedunique subsystem ID registered in the IDs 251 storage of the CCU 250 forthe MV 200, (3) and the subsystem must return an “OK” code and notreturn any subsystem failure codes. If any of the interlock 255 criteriaare not met, then method 700 continues at operation 745, otherwisemethod 700 continues at operation 715.

In operation 715, it can be determined whether a physical key is presentthat is registered with the CCU 250 IDs 251 storage. Each physical keyassociated with an MV 200 has an RFID tag which has a unique IDassociated with the RFID tag. The RFID tags, and therefore the physicalkeys, are registered with the CCU 250 IDs 251 storage. When a physicalkey is present inside the MV 200, the CCU 250 can read the unique IDfrom the physical key. If the key does not return a unique ID, or theunique ID returned by the key does not match a unique ID stored in theCCU 250 IDs 251 storage, then method 700 continues at operation 745,otherwise method 700 continues at operation 720.

In operation 720, it can be determined whether the unique IDs associatedwith the display(s) 300A (front/rear) are registered with the CCU 250IDs 251 storage. If not, it implies that one or more of the display(s)300A have been stolen from another motorized vehicle and method 700continues at operation 725. Otherwise, method 700 continues at operation730.

In operation 725, CCU 250 can notify SMC 120 that the display(s) 300Amay be stolen from another motorized vehicle and installed on the MV200. Method 700 continues at operation 745.

In operation 730, it can be determined whether the CCU 250 statuses 252storage indicates that the MV 200 has the required insurance, licensefees and/or vehicle tax have been paid, and emissions certificationindicates that the MV 200 complies with motorized vehicle emissionsstandards. If not, then method 700 continues at operation 745, otherwisemethod 700 continues at operation 735.

In operation 735, it can be determined whether a license of a driverassociated with a physical key of the motorized vehicle 200 is licensedto operate a motorized vehicle 200. If there are multiple driversassociated with the physical key, a driver may be required to identifywhich driver he, or she, is to complete this operation. By selecting adriver name associated with the key, the driver is attesting that he, orshe, is the driver selected. In an embodiment, selecting a driver nameother than the driver's own name may be a violation of regulatorycompliance. If the driver is a licensed driver of motor vehicles, andthe driver is associated with the physical key that is associated withthe MV 200, then method 700 continues at operation 740. Otherwise,method 700 continues at operation 745.

In operation 740, all startup preconditions have been met, and the MV200 is enabled for startup and method 700 ends.

In operation 745, one or more startup preconditions have not been met,and the MV 200 is disabled from startup and method 700 ends.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a method 800 of performing a safestop of a moving motorized vehicle 200 to avoid a high-speed chase inaccordance with some embodiments.

In operation 500, a law enforcement agency (generically, “officer”) caninterrogate the central control unit (CCU) 250 of a motorized vehicle(MV) 200 to determine the regulatory compliance status of the MV 200 andregulatory compliance status of a driver of the MV 200. The officer mayperform the interrogation in response to observation one or more displayindications on front or rear displays 300A of MV 200. Operation 500 isdescribed above with reference to FIG. 5 .

In operation 810, the officer may alert the driver of the MV 200 to pullto the side of the road. In an embodiment, the officer can send amessage to CCU 250 of the MV 200 to be stopped that notifies the driverof MV 200 that the driver has been instructed to pull over and stop MV200. CCU 250 of MV 200 can display the message as text on a displayinside MV 200, or the message can be generated as audio inside MV 200,instructing the driver of MV 200 to pull over and stop MV 200.

In operation 815, it can be determined whether the driver has stopped MV200 as instructed by the officer. If not, then method 800 continues atoperation 600, otherwise method 800 continues at operation 820.

In operation 600, the officer transmits a command to the CCU 250 of theMV 200 to perform an automatic safe stop. Method 600 is described abovewith reference to FIG. 6 . In an embodiment, a safe stop instructionsent to CCU 250 of the MV 200 to be stopped can be a “slow,” “medium,”or “immediate,” safe-stop. In an embodiment, the officer can transmit aseries of safe stop commands that are directed to each MV 200 subsystem,such as disabling fuel flow 230, disabling ignition/drive control 235,and/or applying braking control 240.

In operation 820, once MV 200 has stopped, the officer can optionallysend another command to CCU 250 of MV 200 to enforce a disablement of MV200, so that MV 200 cannot drive away from the stop.

In operation 825, the officer can approach the MV 200 and verify/updatethe regulatory compliance status of driver and MV 200.

In operation 830, it can be determined whether the officer's stop of MV200 is concluded, such that the driver may now drive away. If not, thenmethod 800 continues at operation 820, otherwise method 800 continues atoperation 835.

In operation 835, if MV 200 was optionally disabled by a command fromthe officer, then the officer can issue a command to CCU 250 to enablenormal operation of MV 200 such that MV 200 can now driver away.

In operation 840, the officer can optionally provide updates ofregulatory compliance records to SMC 120 for driver and/or MV 200. SMC120 can push such updates to MV 200 and to subscribers 121 of regulatorycompliance records 124, in accordance with update and retrieval rules122.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a method 900 of performing a safestop of a motorized vehicle 200 at a border control point, according tosome embodiments. Typically, all motorized vehicles 200, regardless oftheir regulatory compliance status, are required to stop at a bordercontrol point before being permitted to enter beyond the control point.Control points may be at private entrances to homes or businesses, entryto a military base, entry to a state, such as an agriculturalcheckpoint, or at a border to another country. Method 900 enables bordercontrol officer to safely stop a motorized vehicle 200 attempting topass the control point and to safely verify the regulatory compliancestatus of the driver and motorized vehicle 200 before permitting thedriver and motorized vehicle 200 to pass the control point.

In operation 905, a motorized vehicle (MV) 200 updates its location witha GPS system that is part of computing hardware 295 of MV 200.

In operation 910, it can be determined whether MV 200 is approaching aborder control point. If so, then method 900 continues at operation 920.Otherwise method 900 continues at 915, wherein MV 200 maintains normaloperation at operation 915 and method 900 continues at operation 905.

In operation 920, CCU 250 of MV 200 displays an visual or audio warningmessage to the driver of MV 200 that the MV 200 is approaching a bordercontrol point.

In operation 500, a border patrol officer can interrogate the CCU 250 ofMV 200 to obtain regulatory compliance records associated with thedriver and the MV 200. Operation 500 is described above with referenceto FIG. 5 .

In operation 600, the border control officer can enforce a safe stop ofMV 200. Method 600 is described above with reference to FIG. 6 . In anembodiment, a safe stop instruction sent to CCU 250 of the MV 200 to bestopped can be a “slow,” “medium,” or “immediate,” safe stop. In anembodiment, the border officer can transmit a series of safe stopcommands that are directed to each MV 200 subsystem, such as disablingfuel flow, disabling ignition/drive control, and/or applying brakingcontrol 240.

In operation 930, once MV 200 has stopped, border officer can optionallysend another command to CCU 250 of MV 200 to enforce a disablement of MV200, so that driver of MV 200 cannot drive away from the stop.

In operation 935, it can be determined whether the border officer hasconcluded the stop of MV 200. If not, then method 900 rechecks operation935, otherwise method 900 continues at operation 940.

In operation 940, if the border officer optionally disabled MV 200during the border control stop, then the border officer may enablenormal operation of MV 200 so that the driver and MV 200 can drive away.

In operation 945, the border officer can optionally provide updates toSMC 120 of regulatory compliance records 124 for driver and/or MV 200.SMC 120 can push such updates to MV 200 and to subscribers 121 ofregulatory compliance records 124, in accordance with update andretrieval rules 122.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a method 1000 of limiting adriver and/or motorized vehicle (MV) 200 to a predefined boundary area,according to some embodiments. Method 900 described a method ofcontrolling entry of a driver and MV 200 to a controlled area, usingactive safe stop technology. Method 1000 describes a method of confininga driver and MV 200 to a controlled area, using active safe stoptechnology.

In operation 1005, a motorized vehicle (MV) 200 updates its locationwith a GPS system that is part of computing hardware 295 of MV 200.

In operation 1010, it can be determined whether MV 200 is approaching aboundary for the driver and/or MV 200. MV 200 can perform this task byaccessing regulatory compliance records stored in the CCU 250 statuses252 storage. Statuses 252 can store a boundary limitation on the driver,or a predetermined boundary limitation on MV 200. In an example, an MV200 that is rented in a first country may not be permitted to leave thefirst country, either by law or by terms of the rental agreement.Similarly, a driver that is licensed to operate the MV 200 in the firstcountry may not be permitted to leave the first country, or may not belicensed to drive the MV 200 in a second country. Thus, the driverand/or MV 200 can be confined to a predetermined boundary. If the driveris navigating the MV toward a boundary for the driver or MV 200, thenmethod 1000 continues at operation 1015, otherwise method 1000 continuesat operation 1025.

In operation 1015, CCU 250 of MV 200 displays a visual or audio messageto the driver of MV 200 that the driver is approaching a boundary limitfor the driver and/or the MV 200. In an embodiment, the message caninform the driver whether it is the MV 200, the driver, or both, thatare not permitted beyond the boundary area. In an embodiment, themessage can describe the boundary limit to the driver.

In operation 1020, it can be determined whether the driver voluntarilystops the MV 200 or stays within the predetermined boundary area for thedriver and/or MV 200. If so, then method 1000 continues at operation1025 Otherwise method 1000 continues at operation 1030.

In operation 1025, CCU 250 of MV 200 maintains normal operation of MV200. Method 1000 continues at operation 1005.

In operation 1030, it has been determined that the driver did notvoluntarily stop MV 200 inside the boundary area, and the driver has notnavigated MV 200 back inside the boundary area. Thus, CCU 250 of MV 200can automatically impose limits on the operation of MV 200 to stop MV200 or to limit MV 200 to only return further inside the boundary area.In an embodiment, CCU 250 can transmit a motorized vehicle 200regulatory non-compliance record to SMC 120. The non-compliance recordcan include the unique ID of the MV 200, the unique ID (e.g. driverlicense number) of the driver, a GPS location of the MV 200, a date/timeof the record, and other information. The regulatory non-compliancerecord can be pushed to subscribers by SMC 120, including MV 200, asdefined in update and retrieval rules database 122 of SMC 120.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a method 1100 of monitoring andreporting “tail-gating” of a first motorized vehicle (MV) 200 by asecond MV 200 behind the first MV 200, according to some embodiments.“Tail-gating” refers to the practice of driving at an close and unsafedistance behind an MV 200. An unsafe distance is generally determinedfrom the speed at which both the first and second MV 200 s aretraveling, a distance between the rear of the first MV 200 and the frontof the second MV 200, and an estimated optimal reaction time for adriver of the second MV 200 to apply the brakes of second MV 200 andavoid a collision with the rear-end of the first MV 200. The speed atwhich both vehicles are traveling can be approximated by the first(front) MV from its own speedometer. The distance between the rear ofthe first MV 200 and front of the second MV 200 can be determined usingthe emitter/receiver 307 in the rear display 300A of the front MV 200.Optimal human reaction time is estimated at approximately 0.75 seconds.Assuming a worst case scenario that the first (front) MV 200 had toapply its brakes suddenly, such as to avoid a stopped vehicle, then theCCU 250 of the first (front) MV 200 can estimate a safe distance atwhich the second (rear) MV 200 should maintain. Logic for method 1100can be implemented by CCU 250 using computing hardware 295 of the first(front) MV 200.

In operation 1105, the first (front) MV 200 can determine its own speedof travel from a speedometer reading of the first MV 200 by CCU 250 ofthe first MV 200. This should be approximately the same speed that thesecond (rear) vehicle is traveling.

In operation 1110, the first MV 200 can use the emitter/receiver 307 ofits rear display 300A to determine a distance from the rear end of firstMV 200 to the front end of second MV 200. In an embodiment,emitter/receiver 307 of the rear display 300A of the first MV 200 canrepeatedly measure the distance from the rear bumper of the first MV 200to the front bumper of the second MV 200. A rapid decrease in thismeasurement may indicate an urgency to avoiding a rear-end collision.

In operation 1115, CCU 250 of the first MV 200 can determine, given thespeed of the MV 200's and the distance at which the second MV 200 isbehind the first MV 200, whether the second MV 200 is unsafely close tothe rear end of the front MV 200; i.e. second MV 200 is “tail-gating”first MV 200, which is both unlawful and unsafe. If the distance betweenthe first and second MV 200's is less than a safe threshold, then method1100 continues at operation 1125. Otherwise method 1100 continues atoperation 1120.

In operation 1120, first (front) MV 200 can clear its rear display 300Aof any warning message to the second (rear) MV 200. Method 1100continues at operation 1105.

In operation 1125, first (front) MV 200 can display a warning message onits rear display 300A that the second MV 200 is too close behind thefirst MV 200.

In operation 1130, it can be determined whether the distance between therear of the first MV 200 and the front of the second MV 200 is less thana minimum safe distance. If so, then method 1100 continues at operation1135. Otherwise method 1100 continues at operation 1115.

In operation 1135, CCU 250 instruct camera 306 of rear display 300A ofthe first MV 200 to take a picture of the front display 300A of thesecond MV 200. In an embodiment, camera 306 can additionally take apicture of the driver of the second MV 200. In an embodiment, a GPS ofthe first MV 200 can retrieve a current location of the first MV 200.

In operation 1140, CCU 250 of the first MV 200 can send a command toretrieve the unique ID of the second MV 200 and optionally a unique IDof the driver of the second MV 200.

In operation 1145, the first MV 200 can transmit a regulatorynon-compliance record to SMC 120, which can include the picture(s), GPSlocation, date/time, unique ID of the second MV 200 and unique ID of thedriver of the second MV 200. SMC 120 can add the regulatorynon-compliance record to its database 124 of regulatory compliancerecords and can transmit the regulatory non-compliance to subscribers121 in accordance with update and retrieval rules database 122.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a method 1200 of controllingoperation of a non-vehicle machine (NVM) 201 in accordance with a stateof regulatory compliance of the NVM 201, according to some embodiments.An NVM 201 can be any of a wide variety of machines that are subject toregulatory compliance, such as a gasoline pump, an elevator, anescalator, utility meters, certain medical equipment, and the like.Logic for the implementation of method 1200 can be programmed intocentral control unit (CCU) 250 of the NVM 201 and executed usinghardware 295 of NVM 201.

In operation 1205, CCU 250 of NVM 201 can receive an update to aregulatory compliance record regarding the NVM 201.

In operation 1210, CCU 250 of NVM 201 can store the received regulatorycompliance record in CCU 250 statuses 252 storage. CCU 250 an updatedisplay(s) 300B of NVM 201 to reflect the updated regulatory compliancestatus of the NVM 201.

In operation 1215, it can be determined whether the NVM 201 is incompliance with applicable regulations. In an embodiment, applicableregulations can be programmed into CCU 250 and are updated by SMC 120.If NVM 201 is not in compliance with regulatory requirements, thenmethod 1200 continues at operation 1225, otherwise method 1200 continuesat operation 1220.

In operation 1220, NVM 201 is compliant with regulatory requirements andis enabled for normal operation. Method 1200 continues at operation1205.

In operation 1225, NVM 201 is not compliant with regulatory requirementsand CCU 250 of NVM 201 can automatically disable operation of NVM 201.Some NVM's, e.g. medical devices, may be prohibited by law from beingused when the device is not compliant with regulatory requirements. Somedevices, e.g., a gasoline pump that has not been recently recertifiedthat it accurately dispenses the displayed amount of gasoline, may beable to have a user override of an automatic disabling of the gasolinepump.

In operation 1230, it can be determined whether a consumer disablementoverride is available to the consumer. If not, then method 1200continues at operation 1205. Otherwise method 1200 continues atoperation 1235. Logic to implement the determination of whether aconsumer override of automatic disabling of an NVM 201 can be programmedinto CCU 250 of the NVM 201.

In operation 1235, a consumer can select “override” of automaticdisablement of the NVM 201. By doing so, consumer accepts theout-of-compliance status of the NVM 201. In an embodiment, CCU 250 ofNVM 201 may record, in statuses 252 storage, instances of usersoverriding the automatic disablement of NVM 201 for later retrieval by,e.g., a re-certification agent or authority. Method 1200 continues atoperation 1205.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating representative hardware for acomputing system 1300 upon which any of the embodiments described hereinmay be practiced. Computing system 1300 can be used to implement thecomputer hardware 295 of a motorized vehicle 200 and/or non-vehiclemachine 201 as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. Asubset of computing system 1300 can be used to implement motorizedvehicle displays 300A and non-vehicle machine display(s) 300B asdescribed above with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C.

Computing system 1300 includes bus 1305 to communicate informationbetween components coupled to the bus 1305. Bus 1305 can be a high-speedbackplane, a fiber optic network, a wired or wireless network, or otherinterconnecting bus. Computing hardware 1300 can include any or all ofthe following components, interconnected via bus 1305. Components caninclude a processing system 1310, memory 1315, a global positioningsystem (GPS) 1320, one or more storage devices 1335, a power source,such as a battery or solar cell 1340, an accelerometer and/or gyroscope1345, one or more display elements comprising a display device 1350,input/output devices 1360, a camera 1370, one or more range detectingsensors 1375, and one or more network interface elements 1380, includinga wired interface 1387 or wireless interface 1385.

While computing system 1300 is illustrated with a single processor,computing system 1300 may include multiple processors and/orco-processors 1310. Processor(s) 1310 can include at least one hardwareprocessor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), a parallel-pipelined processor, an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array(FPGA).

Computing system 1300 can further include one or more types of memory1315 including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flashmemory, static memory, and the like. Memory 1300 can store executableprogram instructions that, when executed by a processing system 1310,can cause computing system 1300 to execute any of the functionalitydescribed herein.

Storage 1335 can include non-volatile storage such as magnetic disk,flash memory, optical disk, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), ordigital video disk (DVD).

Computing system 1300 can include a location determination system 1320that determines a physical location of an object connected to the bus1305 with respect to a coordinate system of some type. Locationdetermination system 1320 can be, e.g., a satellite-based globalpositioning system (GPS), a triangulation of cell towers, a ground-basedradio-navigation system, or other location determination system. Thephysical object can be, e.g., a motorized vehicle 200 or a non-vehiclemachine 201.

Computing system 1300 can include a power source 1340. In an embodiment,power source 1340 can be a power generation source of, e.g., motorizedvehicle 200, such as a generator or alternator. Power source 1340 canalternatively, or in addition, comprise a battery. Power source 1340 canhave a backup source, such as one or more solar cells that can supplypower to computing system 1300 and/or recharge a battery that suppliespower to computing system 1300. In an embodiment, computing system 1300can have a “reduced power” mode of operations in the event of loss ofpower from a primary source, such as the battery or generator.

Computing system 1300 can further an accelerometer and gyroscope 1345.The accelerometer can measure acceleration and deceleration of amotorized vehicle (MV) 200. A gyroscope can measure angular velocityabout an axis of rotation. The combination of an accelerometer andgyroscope can be used by the central control unit (CCU) 250 of MV 200 todetect that MV 200 may have been in an accident. CCU 250 can then reportthe accident to SMC 120, and SMC 120 can use push service 126 to notifysubscribing emergency services and/or law enforcement of the accident.In an embodiment, the report to the SMC 120 can include the unique ID ofMV 200, a GPS location of MV 200, and other data stored in CCU 250statuses 252 and IDs 251, as appropriate.

Computing system 1300 can include one or more display devices 1350.Display device(s) 1350 can include displays 300A and 300B as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 3A-3C. Display(s) can include LED or LCDdisplays, segmented LED displays, LED emitters of a variety of colors,or other display element.

Computing system 1300 can include one or more input devices 1360. Inputdevices 1360 can include a keyboard, a touch keypad, a touch-sensitivedisplay, mechanical switches, and the like.

Computing system 1300 can further include a camera module 1370. Cameramodule 1370 can be a charge coupled device (CCD) module, or an imagedetector using infrared sensors. Camera 1370 can be incorporated into MV200 rear display 300A as camera 306. Pictures taken by camera 1370 canbe stored in storage device 1335 and transmitted via networkinterface(s) 1380 to, e.g., a law enforcement agency or SMC 120.

Computing system 1300 can also include one or more range detectingdevices, such as emitter/receiver 307 of rear display 300A of amotorized vehicle. Range detection can include an emitter, such as aninfrared laser, and a detector that receives and measures reflections ofsignals emitted from the emitter. Logic to convert a time differencebetween emitting a signal and receiving a reflection of the emittedsignal can be included in the range detecting device, or can beprogrammed as executable instructions in storage 1335 or memory 1315.

Network interfaces 1380 can include any type of network interface andprotocol, including GSM, CDMA, WiFi, radio, Satellite communication, andthe like. Network interface(s) 1380 can include an antenna 1385 or awired connection 1387. Antenna 1385 can be antenna 210 as describedabove with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

Embodiments of the disclosure also relate to an apparatus for performingthe operations herein. Such a computer program is stored in anon-transitory computer readable medium. A machine-readable mediumincludes any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by amachine (e.g., a computer). For example, a machine-readable (e.g.,computer-readable) medium includes a machine (e.g., a computer) readablestorage medium (e.g., read only memory (“ROM”), random access memory(“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flashmemory devices).

The processes or methods depicted in the preceding figures may beperformed by processing logic that comprises hardware (e.g. circuitry,dedicated logic, etc.), software (e.g., embodied on a non-transitorycomputer readable medium), or a combination of both. Although theprocesses or methods are described above in terms of some sequentialoperations, it should be appreciated that some of the operationsdescribed may be performed in a different order. Moreover, someoperations may be performed in parallel rather than sequentially.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are not described with referenceto any particular programming language. It will be appreciated that avariety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachingsof embodiments of the disclosure as described herein.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the disclosure have beendescribed with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. Itwill be evident that various modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as setforth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method to determine the regulatory compliancestatus of a regulated machine comprising the steps of: requesting by acentral control unit (CCU) of a system management center comprising aregulatory compliance records database for managing receipt ofregulatory compliance records for motorize vehicles, drivers ofmotorized vehicles, and for non-vehicle machines, a machine unique IDfrom a regulated machine; receiving a machine unique ID from the centralcontrol unit (CCU) of the regulated machine; requesting regulatorycompliance status records for the regulated machine from the regulatorycompliance records database; receiving regulatory compliance statusrecords for the regulated machine, determining whether the regulatedmachine is a motorized vehicle, requesting by the central control unit(CCU) of the system management center a driver identification of themotorized vehicle; receiving an at least one driver identification ofthe motorized vehicle; determining an at least one driver status recordrelated to the at least one driver identification of the motorizedvehicle, requesting by the central control unit (CCU) of the systemmanagement center a motor vehicle unique ID from a motor vehicle;requesting by the central control unit (CCU) of the system managementcenter by the central control unit (CCU) of the system management centera first subsystem qualifier from a fuel subsystem; requesting by thecentral control unit (CCU) of the system management center a firstsubsystem qualifier from a ignition subsystem; requesting by the centralcontrol unit (CCU) of the system management center a first subsystemqualifier from a brake subsystem; requesting by the central control unit(CCU) of the system management center a subsystem ID and a subsystemcheck from an information display of the motor vehicle; requesting bythe central control unit (CCU) of the system management center asubsystem ID and a subsystem check from an antenna of the motor vehicle;verifying by the central control unit (CCU) of the system managementcenter the motor vehicle unique ID; verifying by the central controlunit (CCU) of the system management center the first subsystem qualifierfrom the fuel subsystem associates with an acceptable subsystemqualifier; verifying by the central control unit (CCU) of the systemmanagement center the first subsystem qualifier from the ignitionsubsystem associates with an acceptable subsystem qualifier; verifyingby the central control unit (CCU) of the system management center thefirst subsystem qualifier from the brake subsystem associates with anacceptable subsystem qualifier; verifying by the central control unit(CCU) of the system management center the information display isinterlocked with the central control unit of the motor vehicle byverifying the information display associates with an subsystem ID andthe subsystem check is acceptable; verifying by the central control unit(CCU) of the system management center the antenna is interlocked withthe central control unit of the motor vehicle by verifying the antennaassociates with an subsystem ID and the subsystem check is acceptable;verifying by the central control unit (CCU) of the system managementcenter presence of a registered physical key in the motor vehicle;verifying by the central control unit (CCU) of the system managementcenter registration of information display with the central control unitof the motor vehicle; verifying by the central control unit (CCU) of thesystem management center compliance of insurance, license fee, andemissions of the motor vehicle with regulations; and receiving a uniquedriver identification of a driver in the motor vehicle, and verifying bythe central control unit (CCU) of the system management center thedriver has a valid driver's license, and cutting fuel flow to theignition system.